Syracuse University head football Coach Scott Schafer was busy during the 2014 ACC Football Kickoff Media Days today with droves of reporters and appearances on The ACC Network as well as on ESPNU this afternoon.

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

Syracuse is being picked around 4th in the Atlantic Division according to an ESPN poll behind Florida State, Clemson, and old-foe, ACC newcomers Louisville.

Coach Shafer sold the university’s core on-air as finding those guys that are diamonds in the rough, guys you can mold into players like Donovan McNabb who was not highly recruited. He also threw out the names of the Jones brothers, Art Monk, Dwight Freeney, and even Jim Brown. He had a laugh at how the southern schools make such a big deal of our weather here, but he turned that around into, “I like the four seasons myself,” and how it is such a great area to raise a family. He talked up how SU is one of the top Universities in the country and how great it is that the players have that degree in their hand when they leave. He chatted up his recruiters and how they have done excellent work getting back into New Jersey, Connecticut, along with expanding an already good presence in South Florida. He pointed out that SU actually signed more players from Illinois than Northwestern and Illinois last year. Coach Schafer has a firm grasp in just his second season and he just ‘gets’ where the team is, where they want to go, and what they need to do to get there. The goal, of course, is to compete with defending National Champions Florida State and Clemson. To get SU into the discussion to win a division title and to get those high-ranking recruits that fit the program onboard.

Check out the interview courtesy ACC Digital Network from yesterday as coach talks with Jeff Fischel. It promises to be a fun season and the coach can’t wait for August to get here. Syracuse is on the rise.

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David Garlow is a published author as well as writing about threeothersubjects for Examiner.com. He played most sports growing up outside of Syracuse and remains an avid follower of all sports in Syracuse and Central New York. He may be contacted directly via email at rockwriter1@gmail.com.